Radiopharmaceuticals are a group of pharmaceutical drugs that have radioactivity. They are used for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases such as tumors, cancers, and diseases affecting the bone marrow, heart, kidney, liver, lungs, salivary gland, and urinary bladder. The radiopharmaceuticals market is expanding owing to the increasing rate of chronic cardiovascular and neurology diseases and will be worth US$12.2 bn by 2018, expanding at a whopping CAGR of 18.3%, according to a report published by Transparency Market Research.

The spectrum of radiopharmaceuticals is broadening due to the coordinated efforts of chemists, physicians, and manufacturers of synthesis equipment.

Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Enters into Agreement with Zevacor Pharma, Inc. for Production of Iomab-B

Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that is developing an innovative targeted payload immunotherapeutic to treat advanced forms of cancer, has recently entered into an agreement with radiopharmaceutical products manufacturer Zevacor Pharma, Inc. in the U.S. The two companies have entered the agreement to produce Iomab-B, which is a radioimmunotherapy to be used as an induction and conditioning agent prior to bone marrow transplant. Iomab-B is to be used on patients above 55 years of age who are undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Iomab-B is a radioimmunoconjugate comprising iodine-131 radioisotope and BC8, which is a novel murine monoclonal antibody. BC8 was developed to target CD45, which is a pan-leukocytic antigen found in the white blood cells. CD45 makes BC8 useful in targeting white blood cells in preparation for the transplantation of the hematopoietic stem cell in a number of blood cancer indications.

BC8, when labeled with radioactive isotopes, transports radioactivity directly to the location of cancerous growth, thus avoiding side effects of radiation on the healthy tissues. Iomab-B can be used as a conditioning agent on patients suffering from Hodgkin's disease, Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and chronic myeloid leukemia.

Such new developments in the field of medical science are expected to drive the radiopharmaceuticals market in future.

Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are useful in enabling doctors to determine the presence and size of cancerous tumors. PET and SPECT work on the same principle – that of detecting gamma rays and building a 3D picture of a cancerous tumor. A radioactive tracer, such as glucose with a radioactive isotope, is injected into the patient. As tumor cells grow, they require higher amounts of glucose. Blood carries glucose throughout the body of the patient but it is absorbed mostly by the cancerous or tumor site, absorbing the isotope with it. The isotope then decays, emitting gamma rays. The gamma rays are then collected by the detectors present around the patient, which then builds up a picture of the positions and shape of the tumor, along with where they came from.

Utilization of a radiotracer in PET and SPECT for imaging has changed the entire process of diagnosis of disease. With rising cases of cancer and tumors and the resultant need to diagnose them effectively, the use of radiopharmaceuticals is only expected to show an upward graph.